Bowlder grabber



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,549.

E. T.-HAUN.

BOWLDER GRABBER.

FILED JAN. 13. 1921. 9' 3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,549. E. T. HAUNE.

BOWLDER GRABBER.

FILED JAN. 13. 1921. a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Egg at TiHaun Dec. 19, 1922.

E. T. HAUN. BOWLDER GRABBER.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3.

FILED JAN.13,192I.

Eggar "1 .1131???" Patented Dec. 1, 1922..

{i E i Y EDGAR THOMAS HAUN, OF GIL BOY, CALIFORNIA.

BOWLDER GRA'BBEB.

Application filed January 13, 1921. Serial No. 436,962. I

roy, in the-county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Bowlder Grabber-s, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to grapples and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved grapple particularly adaptable for use in placer mining and which is so constructed as to remove bowlders from banks, without disturbing the gravel, so that the mining of the mineral in the gravel will be facilitated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grapple embodying apair of pivoted jaws or sections having an improved automatic means for opening and closing the same during the lowering and raising movement of the grapple and an improved means for forcibly closing the jaws or sectionsindependent of the means for closing the same during the raising movementof the grapple, so as to insure the grabbing of the bowlders by the aws and the displacement thereof from the jaws. i

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means for constructing the jaws-or sections of the grapple so as to provide a strong and rigid construction and a.

one that will be simple and easy to manu facture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the' Y invention consists in the novel construction,

arrangement and formation of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically descrlbed,

claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawlngs, forming a part Figure l is a fragmentary detail verticalsectional view through a portion of the grapple illustrating the means for forcibly moving the jaws to their closed position for grasping the bowlders. v

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the sev eral views, the letter A indicates the improved grapple or bowlder grabber, which includes the jawsor sections 5 and 6. The jaws5 and 6 .are formedrelativelywide and each includes a plurality oftongs or arms 7 arranged in spaced relation. I These arms or tongs 7 are formed of structural iron or steel of the T or I-beam type and include the straight body portion 8 and the inwardly ex tending arcuate prongs 9. I-beam braces 10 are provided for connecting the arms or tongs together, and these I-beams are secured to the innersurface of vthe arms as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.-

I-beam sections 11am also provided for the arcuate prongs 9 of the tongs, so 'as to prevent lateral movement or distortion thereof.

The arms of the sections or jaws 5 and 6. are so arranged that when the sections are in operative relation to each other, the arms or tongs will be out of alignment with each other. This construction permitsthe section to be swung to such a position where the arcuate portions or prongs 9 of the tongs or arms 7 willv overlap. The upper inner terminals of the arms or tongs 7 of the sections 5 and 6 are provided withlongitudinally aligned bearing brackets 12, which receive the longitudinally extending shaft 13 which forms the pivot for pivotally connecting the sections together. I 1 a A. means B is provided'for automatically opening the sections 5 and, 6 during the lowering movement of the grapple and a means C'is provided for automatically closing and for holding the sections closed during the raising'movement thereof.

The means 13 includes a transversely extending travelling beam 15.; he beam 15 may also be of I-beam construction and is arranged between the arms or tongs 7 ofv thereof. -Rela'tively short pulling ropes 16 are connected to the terminals of the beam '15 andfto the arms or tongues 7 adjacent the arcuate portions thereof as at 17. Ca-

;bles -18 an'd19 are provided for eac-hof the jaws or section 5 andf6 and the upper ten The ring has connected thereto in any preferred manner the usual hoisting cable 25, and it can be seen that when the hoisting cable 1S utilized for supporting the weight of the grapple, the beam 15 will be I raised through the medium of the cable 18 and 19 owing to the manner in which the cables are trained around pairs of pulleys 21 and 22 and connected to the sections 5 and 6. When the beam 15 is raised, the relatively short ropes 16 will pull up on the sections at the arcuate portions 9 of the tongs or arms 7 thereof. This will effectively spread or open the jaws or sections.

The means C utilized'for bringing the jaws or sections 5 and 6 together when the grapple is being raised consists of cablesand 31 which have their upper terminals connected to a common ring 32. These cables 30 and 31 are providedrespectively for I thesections 5 and 6. The Qable SO is trained around a pulley carried by the section and then around a pulley il-l carried by the section 6 adjacent to the arcuate portion or prongs thereof. The cable is then extended across the grapple and secured as at 35 to the section 5 adjacent to its arcuate portion 9.

The cable 31 is trained around a pulley 36 carried by the section 6 adjacent to its upper end and then around a pulley 3'? carried by the section 5 adjacent to its lower end and is secured as at 38 to the section 6 adjacent to its lower end. "A suitable hoist ing cable 39 is secured to the ring 32 and it can be seen that when the grapple is' raised by the cable 39 the two jaws or sections 5 and 6 will bebrought toward each other owingto the manner in wh ch the cables SO and 31 are trained around the pulbringing the jaws 0* sections 5 leys 38, 36, 3e and 3'7. I

A. means D is provided for forcibly and 6 to gether for insuring the engagement of the bowlders by the and this means I) in cludes a cylinder 40 which is bolted or otherwise secured as at 41' to the section 5 adjacent to its upper end. This cylinder 40 has reclprocably mounted thereina piston 42 and the piston rod" 43 thereof is provided with aguide pulley 44. A cable 45'is trained around the guide pulley l4 and has one end secured to a bracket 46 carried by the section The inner ends of-tlie.

I the jaws 5 and 6 toward each other.

5 adjacent to its-lower end. I The cable after leaving the pulley let is trained around a pulley 47 carried by the section 5 adjacent to its lower end and is then brought over to the sections and secured thereto as at 18 adjacent to its lower end.

The lower end of the cylinder 40 is pro vided with an inlet opening 49 which has communicating therewitha feed pipe 50. It can be seen that when pressure is admitted into the cylinder through the inlet 49, the piston 42 will be forced to the upper end of thecylinder, thus drawing the piston rod 43 inwardly. This will pull up on the cable l5 and thus draw the jaws or sections 5 and 6 forcibly together. j

- In operation of the improved grapple the same is lowered by means of the cable 25 which will draw up on the beam '15 and openthe jaws'or sections 5 and 6 and position the prongs or arcuate portion 9 of the tongs or arms 7 thereof in a bowlder' grasping position. The grapple is thenlowered over the desired place and the cable 39 may be then raised a short distance for bringing Pressure is then admitted into the cylinder t0 which will forcibly bring the sections together and force the bowlders on the arcuate portions or prongs 9 thereof. The grappie is then raised by the cable 39 which will hold the jaws or sections 5 and 6 in their closed position and thus prevent the dropping of the bowlders therefrom From the foregoing description. it can be seen that an improved and simple grapple for bowlders has been provided. which 15 .ot

exceptionally durable and rigid construction and which is so constructed that the jaws will be automatically moved toward and away from each other, when the device is being raised or lowered.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope ofthis invention but,

I claim: a

1. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected sections means for automatically opening and closing the sections during the lowering and raising thereof, and means independent of the first mentioned. means 1" or closing the sections.

grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected sections, lowering and hoisting cables for the sections, means operated by said cables for automatically opening and closing the sections during the lowering and raising thereof by said cables, and independent means for moving said sections in dependentof said cables.

3. A grapple comprising a pair of sections, means pivotally eonnecting'the sections together at their upper ends, a cylinder carried by one of the sections, a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder; a pulley carried by said piston, a cable, means securing one end of the cable to the section carrying said piston, a guide pulley carried by said section, means securing the opposite ends of the cable to the other section, the cable being trained around said pulleys. I

at. In a grapple, a pair of sections, means hingedly connecting the sections together, lowering and raising means for the sections, a cylinder carried by one of the sections, a piston reciprocablyinounted in said cylinder, means for feeding fluid to. the cylinder, a guide pulley carried by the piston, a guide pulley secured to the section carrying the cylinder and arranged below the same, means for admitting fluid pressure to the cylinder, a cable trained around the pulley, and means securing the terminals of the cable to the sections.

5. A grapple comprising a pair of hingedly connected sections, a hoisting and a lowering cable, a travelling beam carried by the sections and arranged to project beyond the outer sides thereof, guide pulleys carried by the beam, means connecting the opposite ends of the beams to the sections adjacent to their lower ends, a pair of cables, means connecting the upper ends of the cables to the lowering cable, said last mentioned cables being trained around the guide pulleys, and means securing the inner ends of the cables to the sections.

6. A grapple comprising a pair of sec-,

tions. means hingedly connecting the sections together at their upper ends, a hoistsections adjacent to their lower ends, and

means connecting the upper ends of the cables to the hoisting cable.

7 A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected sections, a hoising and a lowering cable, upper and lower guide pulleys hingedly carried by the inner surface of each section, cables trained around one guide pulley of one section, and around one pulley of the other, section, means securing the inner ends of the cables to the sections, means securing the outer ends of the cables to the hoisting cable, a travelling beam, pairs of guide pulleys carried by the travelling beam, cables carried by said beam pulleys, means securing the inner ends of the cables to the sections adjacent to their upper ends, means securing the outer ends of the last mentioned cable to the lowering cable, and means securing'the outer ends of the beam to the sections adjacent to the lower ends.

8. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected sections, a hoisting and a lowering cable, upper and lowerguide pulleys hingedly carried by the. inner surface of each section, cables trained around one guide pulley of one section and around one pulley of the other section, means securing the inner ends of the cables to the sections, means securing the outer ends of the cables to the hoisting cable, a travelling beam, pairs of guide pulleys carried by the travelling beam, cables carried by said beam pulleys, means securing the. inner ends of the cables to the sections adjacent to their upper ends, means securing the outer ends of the last mentioned cables to the lowering cable, means securing the outer ends of the beam to the sections adj acentto their lower ends, a cylinder carried by one of the sections, a plunger reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a guide pulley carried by the plunger, a guide pulley carried by the sect-ion supporting said cylinder, a cable trained around said last mentioned pulley, means connecting the opposite terminals of the last mentioned cable to the sections, and means for admitting fluid pressure to the cylinder.

EDGAR THOMAS HAUN. 

